Thursday, 30 May 2013

Centre for Media Development (CMD) is a relatively new training centre for media and theatre studies for young people seeking a hands-on platform to express themselves beyond the regular drill of academics. It’s a development arm of the Lagos Diocese of Catholic Church and located in Ojota. It has just graduated its third batch of students of The Theatre Company, who put up a fairly good performance of Prof. Femi Osofisan’s dark drama Once Upon Four Robbers. With its short duration of three months training led by star actor, Nobert Young and other trainers, CMD is fast proving a place for quality stage orientation for those willing to explore their given talents.

Last Thursday, its third batch of graduating students held alumni, friends, parents and associates spellbound when they performed Once Upon Four Robbers at its open courtyard theatre, CMD Theatre Company, otherwise called ‘poor theatre’. Although Young was apologetic about it, opinion emerging in theatre circles, have continued to sue for more such theatre platforms for open, robust conversation and interaction between actors and the audience. This was exactly what Osofisan’s play succeeded in doing at the end when the religious charlatan, a Moslem cleric, who turns the tide in the lives of four robbers for the worse, and brazenly turning to the audience for answers to the conflict he partly creates: Is it the armed robbers that should be killed for inflicting mayhem on society or the soldiers who uphold the unjust laws of the state created by the corrupt ‘big’ men who run the affairs of state to ruin?

As would be expected, opinion was divided on the night among audience members. Some wanted the soldiers to die and the robbers to go free! At the end, the robbers got the just deserts for taking arms against society. Ironically, the robbers, as always, are a creation of society, a society that fails to take care of its own, a society that has become callous to the weak, that fails to provide for all its members, that creates a divisions, one for the rich one for the poor. It’s a society that breeds malcontent, a society that spits insolence on the faces of many. For those who cannot take it, like Angola (John Ogbonna), Major (Sebastian Ukwa), Hassan (Augustine Aduzie) and Alhaja (Theresa Osereimen); they take to robbing the rich, as the self-enforcers of the social justice abysmally society fails to provide its citizens.

But their leader has just been executed at the Bar Beach, shot, thanks to the decree newly promulgated by the military government. It leaves the other three, including the leader’s wife, in a quandary. While Angola and Hassan are bent on avenging the leader’s death, Major, the pragmatic one, asks his mates for caution because indeed, they are all living dead anyway, having lost so much in their dark crusade against the state. While trying to rally their spirit, they chance upon an aafa, an arbiter of dark desire. He offers the four robbers a charm of a song that turns potential victims into singing and dancing, but they must only use it thrice and be done and by which time they would amassed so much wealth as to warrant their turning a new leaf from the life robbery.

After the second robbery in a market that saw soldiers sent to protect the market falling to the lulling charm of their song, Major sets upon the other three, and takes the loot away to seek another life. But he is eventually caught just before taking away his loot. At his execution, the other three steps forward and owned up, but sets upon the throng and even the soldiers as part of the social problem that created their deviant behaviour and dares them to do the worse…

The performances of students of CMD, who only got training in three months, could be described as wonderful. Their delivery was fine if scrappy in part, but in all Osofisan’s play got good airing in an unlikely but encouraging spot.

The director, Young said the experience has been humbling working in what Jerzy Grotovsky described as ‘Theatre of the poor’, adding, “We teach youth how to act, to empower our youth to go into the market to change the face of Nollywood and entertainment generally. We urge you all to support us, to empower us. In Once Upon Four Robbers, we urge you not to look at our poor theatre, poor environment. One day, we’ll have it great”.

Director of the centre, Rev. Fr.Padre Mike Umoh praised Young for turning raw talent into gold, and noted, “While many Nigeria are ruled by their stomach, Young is ruled by values, quality Nigerians should aspire towards”.

The journey that started on March 21 when the world was jolted by the announcement of his death finally came to an end yesterday when the father of African literature, Prof. Chinua Achebe was laid to rest in his hometown, Ogidi at about 3pm. It began at the St. Philip’s Anglican Church at about 11am President Goodluck Jonathan and his Ghanaian counterpart, President John Dramani Mahama and other dignitaries arrived Ogidi for the burial.

First to arrive was Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, dressed in his Itsekiri traditional attire in company of a handful of state officials. After this, the Secrete Security Service officials went on over-drive in their zealousness to cordon off the church from anyone without permit. Their overzealousness formed part of Rev. Ikechukwu Nwosu’s sermon as the clergy man, who stood in for the Primate of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, who had observed how SSS officials almost prevented the vicar from entering the church.

Jonathan said he was in Ogidi to appreciate God for creating somebody like Achebe from little known place like Ogidi and Nigeria. Although he didn’t interact with Achebe, Jonathan said he had met others like him and that he sometimes wondered whether the man loved his books more than his father and vice versa, which caused mild laughter in the church.

Jonathan described Achebe as “a philosopher and like all philosophers, he used literature, a subject he loved and knew very well to express his philosophic ideas”.

The President breezed through Achebe’s books, talking about their subject matters, especially Things Fall Apart, which he said, “The title is unique and a reference to colonialism as putting a knife to the things like our values, culture and customs for things to fall apart”

Jonathan also took on Achebe’s political treatise about Nigeria, The Trouble with Nigeria and concluded, “Achebe said political leadership is what is wrong with Nigeria. Things Fall Apart is as far back as 1958 and he noticed that there was something wrong with Nigeria. Then came There was A Country” and Jonathan read an excerpt from the book indicating Achebe’s scathing criticism of corruption as it was far back as the 1950s and 1960s.

Jonathan then asked, “Those in office today, have they changed? Perhaps, Achebe’s grandchildren will write There Is A Country. All of us must work hard to change this country. Achebe said in his book that 2011 election was significantly better. So, we must fix our elections and leaders must work towards a better Nigeria so that their children will write There is A Country”.

According to Nwosu, who took his bible text from Matthew 13 verse three, had his sermon titled, ‘Achebe: Parable to the Nigerian nation’, said Achebe’s life and times were parables to the people of Nigeria. He noted that Achebe’s life ran like a story that had strong message for the people, adding that the good upbringing Achebe had could be adduced for his moral uprightness and the immense work he did for humanity.

Nwosu said, “We appreciate Jonathan for coming for Achebe’s burial. We thank God for making Achebe to come to this side of the planet and the gift God lavished upon him so that all drank from his fountain of knowledge; a giant in the literary world, a man of social action. People like Chinua Achebe cannot be buried; he will live on.”

Nwosu said Achebe could have followed his father’s footsteps and become a cleric, a question he said he once put to him. Nwosu said Achebe’s upbringing as the son of a catechist was responsible for his greatness and tasked the congregation not to neglect their religious lives, especially their Christian roots as it would serve as a measure of their greatness like Achebe.

He intoned, “All knowledge has beginning in Christ. If you have God in your heart, you’ll never be disappointed. Achebe went ahead to be professors of professors, a great man. We may narrate all our woes as a nation, but what God has designed for us will come to pass”.

He urged Nigerians not to despair but to be hopeful and forge ahead with determination, saying Nigeria would excel just as Achebe excelled in spite of the difficulties he faced. Nwosu said, “Nigeria shall be well by defying all negative forces. There’s no end to Nigeria’s exploits. When rough times come upon you, don’t chicken out.”

Nwosu also saluted Achebe for being a practical man in his faith and convictions. He said Achebe’s rejecting of a national honour bestowed on him was part of him being a parable to Nigeria, adding that he meant well by so doing. He said, “Achebe believed thoroughly in Nigeria”

The cleric also pointed out Achebe’s standpoint in the gay controversy raging in the Anglican community, saying the literary icon vehemently opposed the idea of gay and said so openly, calling it an abomination.

There was a mild drama while Rev. Nwosu was giving his sermon. Jonathan, apparently embarrassed that the cleric did not acknowledge his Ghanaian counterpart, sent him a note to remind him as much. But the Nwosu tacitly said acknowledging Jonathan felt like an umbrella that covered all other dignitaries and continued his sermon with aplomb.

With Governor Peter Obi taking over the ceremony after the sermon and called out dignitaries to pay their last respects to Achebe.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri brought the international dimension when she brought messages of world leaders from far and near to the congregation. She extolled the virtues of Achebe as encapsulated in the condolences sent to her ministry. Nevertheless, while quipping about the large number of them, Onwuliri inadvertently made a diplomatic gaff when she the letters of condolences were in a Ghana-must-go bag apparently forgetting the present of Ghanaian president, Mahama. She quickly corrected herself, but not after it caused a mild guffaw in the church.

Chief Emeka Anyaoku also lent his deep basal voice to the condolence register. The diplomat said Achebe gave Africa a voice and confidence to speak for themselves having been so denigrated by the colonial masters. He noted, “Achebe gave us confidence through his writings. He told us Africans and the world that there Africa with a very respectful culture that subsists till today. He helped us discover ourselves. Te legacy of Achebe has left for Nigeria and Africa is a legacy that will subsist in Africa and the world for a long time to come”.

Ghanaian President, Mahama called Achebe an icon of African literature, a great man. He admitted to Things Fall Apart shaping his life while growing up. He expressed his gratitude for the way Achebe lived an exemplary life and how much empowerment he had given to many who would follow his footsteps. He capped it off by saying, “Achebe will never die!”

Many people in the literary community were disappointed when President Goodluck Jonathan failed to name a monument after the late Prof. Chinua Achebe. This was even after the National Assembly recently held sessions in honour of the literary legend and called on government to name a prominent monument in man’s memory. With him and Ghanaian President, John Dramani Mahama the only leaders that attended his burial in Ogidi, it would seem gross oversight for Jonathan not to have acted accordingly.

But he did not. Instead, he said he and Mahama would jointly rebuild Central Primary School, where Achebe attended his elementary school in the 1940s. But this was after the officiating priest, Rev. Ikechukwu Nwosu had prodded the audience and pointed out the deplorable state of the structures. Indeed, it came as an afterthought even for Jonathan.

He had spoken glowingly about Achebe, he being a philosopher who employed his writing to telling effect and how Achebe applauded the 2011 elections that brought him to power as being significantly better than previous ones. And he then went on to sit down. But it was after Achebe’s first son, Ikechukwu had given a vote of thanks that Jonathan decided to announce what would be done to Achebe’s primary school.

Heart-warming as this may be, it still fell far short of how the literary community wants their hero to be immortalised. They had actually expected the National Library still under construction to be named after the man who made library part of his growing up years and who went on to become a library of knowledge itself, sharing his knowledge of African worldview to a world audience that stood spellbound for well over three decades. At Umuahia, where he attended Government College, Achebe was reputed to have virtually lived inside the library and described as a walking dictionary.

But Jonathan probably didn’t think it was fit and proper place to immortalise Achebe. Indeed, it was a fitting moment to score another political point having taken the trouble to grace the burial personally, something that had not happened to a man of culture in this clime before until now.

President, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Prof. Remi Raji-Oyelade said it might be too early in the day to know what President Jonathan would do in that regard, since it took time to arrive at what would be appropriate for a man like Achebe. He noted, “It takes time for us to do the right thing. Jonathan might use it to launder the image of government”.

Duke, chief mourner of Achebe, absent at burial

Except for the season of frenetic outpouring of emotions shortly after the news of his death filtered in, the Minister of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, had been conspicuously missing in all the activities held to mark Achebe’s transition. From last Sunday when weeklong activities started in Abuja at the National Ecumenical Centre, only the Minister of Information and his Finance counterpoint, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala showed up.

Also at the International Convention Centre, where a symposium and a Day of Tributes were held for Achebe, Duke stayed away. Achebe is the hottest cultural item on Nigeria’s menu, and who just passed on, with the world in the grip of deep mourning and celebration of the life he lived in being a pathfinder for a people who were otherwise lost in the wilderness of self-negation and stereotypes of the ‘other’ placed on them by others.

Unarguably, Duke should be the chief mourner of Achebe, the man who gave African culture deeper meaning and taught the world how African culture should viewed, with respect and dignity. If Duke knew his onions as Minister of Culture, he would not be absent but be the driver of Achebe’s burial, because, deservedly, Achebe was a national cultural monument.

But Duke icily stayed from the final rites for the man who gave African culture a new image, a man who rebranded African culture and the entire African people through his inimitable writing.

As ANA president, Raji-Oyelade succinctly put it thus, “In anything that has to do with culture in this our country, especially writers, you cannot be disappointed in a thing like that, in the way we are treated like lepers. I speak as ANA president. But for Governor Peter Obi, ANA president won’t be called to give funeral oration at Awka” for their own man, a man who founded the organisation.

Former ANA president, Dr. Wale Okediran also expressed surprise that Jonathan didn’t make any pronouncement about immortalising Achebe, adding that perhaps, he didn’t want to make the same mistake he made with the renaming of University of Lagos as Moshood Abiola University.

Okediran noted, “I was surprised because I thought he would use the occasion to make a historic statement. Unless he’s in the process of deliberations; but it was a very good moment to have made that statement”.

Also former ANA president Okediran express surprise at the absence of Duke in the Achebe burial process, saying, ”You know, should be in the purview of culture and education ministries. In the past, we had tremendous relationships with previous culture ministers like Chiefs Ojo Madueke and Adetokunbo Ademola. Madueke actually attended one of our conventions. But we’ve not been seeing much of the current culture minister. We hope this will improve soon”.

Achebe’s homeward stretch

The journey that started on March 21 when the world was jolted by the announcement of his death finally came to an end yesterday when the father of African literature, Prof. Chinua Achebe was laid to rest in his hometown, Ogidi at about 3pm. It began at the St. Philip’s Anglican Church at about 11am President Goodluck Jonathan and his Ghanaian counterpart, President John Dramani Mahama and other dignitaries arrived Ogidi for the burial.

First to arrive was Delta State governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, dressed in his Itsekiri traditional attire and in company of a handful of state officials. After this, the Secrete Security Service officials went on over-drive in their zealousness to cordon off the church from anyone without permit. Their overzealousness formed part of Rev. Ikechukwu Nwosu’s sermon as the clergy man, who stood in for the Primate of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, who had observed how SSS officials almost prevented the vicar from entering the church.

Jonathan said he was in Ogidi to appreciate God for creating somebody like Achebe from little known place like Ogidi and Nigeria. Although he didn’t interact with Achebe, Jonathan said he had met others like him and that he sometimes wondered whether the man loved his books more than his father and vice versa, which caused mild laughter in the church.

Jonathan described Achebe as “a philosopher and like all philosophers, he used literature, a subject he loved and knew very well to express his philosophic ideas”.

The President breezed through Achebe’s books, talking about their subject matters, especiallyThings Fall Apart, which he said, “The title is unique and a reference to colonialism as putting a knife to the things like our values, culture and customs for things to fall apart”

Jonathan also took on Achebe’s political treatise about Nigeria, The Trouble with Nigeria and concluded, “Achebe said political leadership is what is wrong with Nigeria. Things Fall Apartis as far back as 1958 and he noticed that there was something wrong with Nigeria. Then cameThere was A Country” and Jonathan read an excerpt from the book indicating Achebe’s scathing criticism of corruption as it was far back as the 1950s and 1960s.

Jonathan then asked, “Those in office today, have they changed? Perhaps, Achebe’s grandchildren will write There Is A Country. All of us must work hard to change this country. Achebe said in his book that 2011 election was significantly better. So, we must fix our elections and leaders must work towards a better Nigeria so that their children will write There is A Country”.

According to Nwosu, who took his bible text from Matthew 13 verse three, had his sermon titled, ‘Achebe: Parable to the Nigerian nation’, said Achebe’s life and times were parables to the people of Nigeria. He noted that Achebe’s life ran like a story that had strong message for the people, adding that the good upbringing Achebe had could be adduced for his moral uprightness and the immense work he did for humanity.

Nwosu said, “We appreciate Jonathan for coming for Achebe’s burial. We thank God for making Achebe to come to this side of the planet and the gift God lavished upon him so that all drank from his fountain of knowledge; a giant in the literary world, a man of social action. People like Chinua Achebe cannot be buried; he will live on.”

Nwosu said Achebe could have followed his father’s footsteps and become a cleric, a question he said he once put to him. Nwosu said Achebe’s upbringing as the son of a catechist was responsible for his greatness and tasked the congregation not to neglect their religious lives, especially their Christian roots as it would serve as a measure of their greatness like Achebe.

He intoned, “All knowledge has beginning in Christ. If you have God in your heart, you’ll never be disappointed. Achebe went ahead to be professors of professors, a great man. We may narrate all our woes as a nation, but what God has designed for us will come to pass”.

He urged Nigerians not to despair but to be hopeful and forge ahead with determination, saying Nigeria would excel just as Achebe excelled in spite of the difficulties he faced. Nwosu said, “Nigeria shall be well by defying all negative forces. There’s no end to Nigeria’s exploits. When rough times come upon you, don’t chicken out.”

Nwosu also saluted Achebe for being a practical man in his faith and convictions. He said Achebe’s rejecting of a national honour bestowed on him was part of him being a parable to Nigeria, adding that he meant well by so doing. He said, “Achebe believed thoroughly in Nigeria”

The cleric also pointed out Achebe’s standpoint in the gay controversy raging in the Anglican community, saying the literary icon vehemently opposed the idea of gay and said so openly, calling it an abomination.

There was a mild drama while Rev. Nwosu was giving his sermon. Jonathan, apparently embarrassed that the cleric did not acknowledge his Ghanaian counterpart, sent him a note to remind him as much. But the Nwosu tacitly said acknowledging Jonathan felt like an umbrella that covered all other dignitaries and continued his sermon with aplomb.

With Governor Peter Obi taking over the ceremony after the sermon and called out dignitaries to pay their last respects to Achebe.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Prof. Viola Onwuliri brought the international dimension when she brought messages of world leaders from far and near to the congregation. She extolled the virtues of Achebe as encapsulated in the condolences sent to her ministry. Nevertheless, while quipping about the large number of them, Onwuliri inadvertently made a diplomatic gaff when she the letters of condolences were in a Ghana-must-go bag apparently forgetting the present of Ghanaian president, Mahama. She quickly corrected herself, but not after it caused a mild guffaw in the church.

Chief Emeka Anyaoku also lent his deep basal voice to the condolence register. The diplomat said Achebe gave Africa a voice and confidence to speak for themselves having been so denigrated by the colonial masters. He noted, “Achebe gave us confidence through his writings. He told us Africans and the world that there Africa with a very respectful culture that subsists till today. He helped us discover ourselves. Te legacy of Achebe has left for Nigeria and Africa is a legacy that will subsist in Africa and the world for a long time to come”.

Ghanaian President, Mahama called Achebe an icon of African literature, a great man. He admitted to Things Fall Apart shaping his life while growing up. He expressed his gratitude for the way Achebe lived an exemplary life and how much empowerment he gave to many who would follow his footsteps. He capped it off by saying, “Achebe will never die!”

Achebe shut Awka, Ogidi down

That Achebe was a great man is not in doubt. But this became clear to Ogidi town folks early on Thursday when thousands of Nigerians and foreigners descended on the sleepy Ogidi town in a carnival of life for the late Chinua Achebe. As early as 9am, food canteens had their food emptied out, as guests descended on what was available to eat. It turned out a scramble of sorts as both civilians and uniformed officers from police, soldiers, SSS and others scouted the road on which St. Philip’s Anglican Church is located.

At the local canteens, visitors ate what they could find. Those who could find rice or eba ate them ‘without’ meat or fish. And when it became obvious that meat or fish had become scarce just like it was during the civil war, the visitors ate without. The general feeling was that it would be worse off to be part of the celebration on an empty stomach!

Ogidi had not known such invasion, and they were not prepared for it. It took them by surprise. Clearly, they knew or had probably heard of Achebe but they didn’t know the great man that he was until his death. Even at the state capital, Awka, where he was laid in state at Alex Ekwueme Square, Achebe’s immense stature as a big masquerade was unmistakable. He shook Awka and local folks were compelled to the realisation that a great masquerade had entered the midst of the living.

Last Tuesday at Alex Ekwueme Square, Awka, Igbo leaders received the remains of late Prof. Chinua Achebe in its final journey home. Virtually all the traditional rulers in Anambra State turned up to celebrate their son, who was variously described as an icon, a hero, a true mentor and a man of inestimable value.

From novelist and Igwe Prof. Chukwuemeka Ike and musicologist,Igwe Prof. Laz Ekwueme to Archibishop of Canterbury, Bishop Welby, Catholic Bishop of Awka, Bishop Eze Okafor and other eminent Nigerians and foreigners, eulogies continued to pour in for the late cultural ambassador.

It started at the boundary between Enugu and Anambra States when the body was first received by Anambra State governor, Mr. Peter Obi and Sen. Chris Ngige, as it made its way from the former Anambra State capital from where it arrived from Abuja on Monday after its journey from the United States where Achebe died on March 21.

Obi was accompanied by a large entourage of Anambra State’s functionaries and then driven in a motorcade to the Amex Ekwueme Square where a large number of Igbo people had gathered to pay their last respect to Ugonabo.

The priest first offered payers that although things have fallen apart in Nigeria and no longer at ease, but that not the arrow but the mercy of God should fall on Nigeria that had produced a great icon like Achebe.

Obi thanked all for honouring Achebe whom he described as a hero. He said the state was honouring Achebe just as it honoured another of its illustrious son, Prof. Chike Obi, when he died a few years ago.

He added, “All we are doing today is praising the man we are gathered here for. He has shown us the path of good life. Can we then start follow that path, those values and the character he put up all through his life? He was not a council chairman, a governor or president, but we have received condolences from over 12 world presidents. Let us start doing the wonderful works of our great grandfather for Nigeria to be better”.

Ngige also praised the courage of Achebe in speaking up during his ordeal as governor of the state, when he was abducted, and Achebe spoke up by rejecting the honour bestowed on him by the Olusegun Obasanjo-led government in power at the time. He said Achebe had received better honours before the shambolic one he was being offered.

The Ikelionwu of Dikelionwu and the former Registrar of West Africa Examinations Council, Ike, said Achebe was a broadcaster per excellence whom his fellow writers conferred on him the Eagle on Iroko at an international conference on him at University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1990. He stated that Nigeria was experiencing a near-carnival of activities in his death, but he wondered what would the outlook of writing would be like after his burial. Ike lamented the passage of some of Nigeria’s men of letters like Christopher Okigbo, Cyprian Ekwensi, Ken Saro-Wiwa, TM Aluko and now Achebe.

He said the greatest writers of Achebe’s generation like Wole Soyinka, JP Clark, Femi Osofisan, Elechi Amadi and Gabriel Okara including himself all attended government colleges established by the colonial government like Umuahia, Ibadan and Ughelli, which had a great atmosphere for learning that enabled their creative talent to flourish and wondered which school today was playing such role in the country. Ike said Nigeria owed it to Achebe to produce the Achebes of the future.

Sen. Udoma Egba, who led the Federal Government’s delegation that included Sen. Uche Chuckwumerije and Sen. Magoro, said Achebe was a world figure and personality, who brought fame to Nigeria, adding, “His life has been exemplary to humanity”.

But the Udoma Egba made a tragic statement in presenting his co-delegates to the Igbo elders that attended the event in their large numbers. He introduced Gen. Magoro as a civil war hero who fought the Biafra to a standstill and who had returned to his home. Magoro didn’t receive any applause if that what was Udoma Egba intended. If anything, it was a tasteless bit of effrontery on the sensibility of Igbo elders, especially those who saw the brutal war for Magoro to be so heroically presented in Awka.

Igwe of Oko, Laz Ekwueme, who represented the traditional rulers in Anambra State, said a warrior, a big tree, had fallen in Igboland, a man on whom the title ‘Eagle on iroko’ sat so well on. In a dirge he sang in his honour, which called for response from the huge crowd, the professor of music, sang for Achebe to go well and go gently in his journey into ancestry.

President, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Prof. Remi Raji-Oyelade praised the founder of the association for his immense contributions to literature and cultural revival of the African people worldwide. He said, “ANA hereby celebrate the mortality and immortality of a true African legend, emeritus professor; here’s a salute to the life of real path-finder. A writer in whose backyard the dream of Nigerian writers was reborn. Achebe, ace broadcaster, first and trustee of ANA; first editor of African Writers series, an acclaimed author of the most translated African novel today, Things Fall Apart.

“Achebe was also one of the early thinkers and teachers of a realistic way of reading of African and third world literatures; a glorious life bequeathed to us from Ogidi, passing through Umuahia and flowering in Ibadan towards world literary recognition.

“His writing career carefully wroughts the ethics of conviction and the compulsion of storytelling. He, who picks his words and weigh them as nuggets of wits and anecdotes to fit a particular time and character. Salute to the long horns and tall drums; salute to the signature of compelling storytelling. We salute the spirit of master artists; we salute the will to live beyond death. Eagle on Iroko, we salute your resilience; we dream of your proverbial wisdom; we have shared your vision of telling truth to power, and as you hoped, we hope against all the impediments, stubborn hope for a loftier dreams for our country.

“Your immortality is assured; let those who live now learn the lessons of resilience, the lesson of commitment; the lesson of shared humility, which you have and your trained genius. Achebe, may your eagle sail home safely, gently, peacefully!”.

Former Minister of Solid Minerals, Mrs. Obe Ezekwesili, who broke down in tears, said Achebe was one of those her father used to symbolised the true Igbo person and she had had to follow him afar to learn something about the dignity of the Igbo person. The World Bank chief lamented the absence of Achebe’s nobility, dignity, humility in today’s Igbo person and tasked all to relearn the quintessential Achebe character for a better Nigeria. She further called him a man of values and the inestimable values Achebe left for all. Obe said Achebe did not make the best of the circumstance of the accident that confined him to a wheelchair.

University of Ibadan Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said although Achebe had died, his distinguished career dictated that its famous alumnus should be celebrated. Adewole described Achebe as “the foremost ancestor of African literature”.

While many in the literary community world-wide agonise over the late literary icon not winning the coveted Nobel Laureate crown, Nigeria’s Information Minister, Mr. Labaran Maku may have found an answer. Maku said at a commendation service in honour of late Prof. Chinua Achebe in Abuja yesterday that the pioneer of African writers probably lost out because of his independence of mind in articulating Pan Africanist visions that countered European’s hegemony on culture, history and civilization.

Specifically, Maku said, Achebe’s rewriting of history, culture and human civilization in arguing against colonialism probably cost him the Nobel crown. He said, “Many people feel he didn’t get the Nobel Laureate because projecting the Africa’s right to think independently from other parts of the world, and because he was anti-colonialism and therefore grounded his works in Afro-centricism. It is, indeed, arguable because he was found to be too independent of mind” against what Europeans think, especially as classifying Africans on the lowest bottom of the race ladder.

Others who praised Achebe were the Primate of the Nigerian Anglican Communion, The Most Rev. Nicholas D. Okoh, who presided over the commendation service, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Chairman, Achebe Transition Committee, Prof. Uzodinma Nwala.

Maku also described Achebe as one of the most important Nigerians in the last one hundred years, and that Achebe would likely live longer that any Nigerian living and dead. He noted, “Through his literature, he has placed Africa on the world map indelibly and he would be relevant to human civilization for thousands of years to come. We see his passing as only transitory in the physical form, but there’s the emotions, the history, the philosophy and he would live after his death would be far more than more important than we knew him while he was alive.

“You can compare him to other immortals like the Greek Homer, like the English John Milton, like so many other writers like Leo Tolstoy, who wrote War and Peace. Achebe did so much for this continent. He broke the ground by placing the African novel on the shelves and so many other writers followed his path. As far as he was concerned, he was a pioneer”.

Maku said apart from his towering stature as pioneer of Agrican literature, Achebe was a true Pan Africanist, “who wrote to enhance the spirit of Africa, to enhance the culture of Africa and to place the dignity of the African that came under abuse in the years of slavery and colonialism in the forefront of human civilization. So, he was not just a novelist; he was defender of the dignity of the African and the right of Africa to organise their literature, their culture. He was a true Pan Africanist, a humanist. We pay him respect not just because he was an African, but one of the greatest African that ever lived”.

His Eminence, Okoh Achebe was “a gift God gave to Africa, to Nigeria and to Igbo people. A man who had a remarkable gift imbued with love for life; he spread Africa literature to the world through his writing and as editor of African Writers Series”. Like the man with five loaves and two fish in Jesus’ parable in the bible, Okoh said Achebe offered what he had to the world and made Africa to be known to the rest of the world and made African traditions known to the world.

Okoh also noted that through Achebe’s iconic novel, Things Fall Apart, the renowned author presented the old order to struggle with the new of Christianity and through his writing, he presented a mirror with which to look at the time Christianity was coming to Africa. He intoned, “There’s no doubt that Achebe was a rich man, but not with money. He had a gift given to him by God, and through that gift, the world knew him and canonised him”.

The cleric further called on Nigeria to emulate the imperishable values Achebe represented and leave lasting legacies.

Okonjo-Iweala said Achebe was an incredible figure and that Nigerians should all be very proud to have had him as a Nigerian for bringing a lot of dignity and fame to the country. She also said Achebe’s departure would create a vacuum in the literary community and that his shoes might just be too great for anybody to fill.

Early preparations for the
burial rites for late legendary literary icon began last Tuesday when by Igbo
socio-political Think-tank, Aka Ikenga held a day of tributes for the late man of letters, Prof. Chinua
Achebe at Nigeria Institute for International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Friends, colleagues and admirers of the literary icon extolled the virtues of
Achebe as a man of courage, a man who lived life to the full.

Also, Nigerians, especially the young ones, were urged to
emulate his exemplary life, a man with whom humility, integrity, courage sat
well, just as the countdown to his burial on May 23rd starts today, with
activities in Abuja before his arrival on Tuesday and his final journey to his
resting place in his hometown, Ogidi, Anambra State.

Among prominent Igbo sons that paid tribute to Achebe
included Amb. Arthur Mbanefo, Profs. Anya O. Anya, George Obiozor and Uzodinma
Nwuala, Anthony Merini and Nnabuife. Others were President, Government College,
Umuahia Old Students Association, Mr. C.N.C. Nweke and many other old boys and
dignitaries.

Also, it was an event that was spiced with musical
rendition, poetry rendition in Igbo and English. At the forefront of the
musical performance was the post-graduate class of Performing Arts Department,
University of Lagos, which rendered several Igbo choral songs. Prof. Nnabuife’s
rendition of elegiac poem in Igbo was a moving, superb and effortless in the
classic manner of ancient griots, which even the late Achebe would have
applauded in its edification of the Igbo language as a fitting language for
peotry. Punctuated by the accompaniment of the local Igbo flute dexterously
weaving in and out among the stanzas, the performance could best be described
as a fitting funereal for the great wordsmith it was composed for as it mourned
the man and played up the havoc death wreaks on mankind both great and small.

And as the performance progress, the unmistakable ekwe sound, not unlike how Achebe played it up chapter two
of his now famous Things Fall Apart
joined the poetic rendition to further heighten the mournful cadence of the
performance.

In his tribute, Mbanefo commended Achebe for his iconic
status in letters that transcended Nigeria and Africa to the wider world. He
said it was a thing of pride that Achebe as an Igbo son was acclaimed world-wide,
and added that Nigerians should not lose sight of the values of integrity,
humility and excellence that Achebe represented and transmitted in his works.

He noted, “He was the elephant not only of Nigeria and
Africa but of the entire world. Anybody who had Achebe knew that he had
somebody. His death is a thing of tears and sorrow but it also causes a lot of
reflection on our part. What he depicted was not a myth; he tried to practice
what he wrote, which is very hard in this country. He played honest politics;
he stood out. He was one that didn’t give in; he believed in himself and was
truthful. He stood straight to the end. In a country where people beg for
national honours, Achebe rejected them because the hands that wanted to give
him such honours were not clean. We have lost a gem”.

Also, Prof. Anya said Achebe, his neighbour at University of
Nigeria, Nsukka, was the greatest literary artist of the 20th century Africa
produced, adding, “Achebe does not belong to the dead but the living. This is a
day of reflection, for us to see what lessons we can take away from his life”.

The iconic economist wondered why Igbo did not honour their
own when they were still alive, starting from foremost historian and first Vice
Chancellor of University College, Ibadan, Prof. Kenneth Dike and another
foremost academics, Prof. Eni Njoku. He said these legendary men of letters
deserved to be laureates in their fields but that world politics played them
out of such considerations.

Anya said Achebe’s burial date of May 23 was just six days
away from May 29th, a symbolic date in Igbo’s history, when the 1966 progrom
started in the North of Nigeria, which eventually ushered in the bitter civil
war that decimated the lives of Nd’Igbo. He also linked the passing of Odumegu
Ojukwu and Achebe in close proximity at this time as not mere happenstance, but
some sort of closure for Nd’Igbo, as the past drawing the curtain against the
past for a new chapter and renaissance of Igbo people.

Prof. Obiozor, hilariously explosive, stated that the
greatness of any nation was determined by the quality of the sons and daughters
she produced. He praised Achebe’s greatness as an exceptional one that trailed
him from the beginning to the end, which started at Umuahia as a first class
student. He harped on the injustice that has continued to be the hallmark of
Nigeria and stressed that until the injustice was addressed in the land, peace
would continue to elude Nigeria.

Earlier, President of Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazurike extolled the virtues of Achebe
as a man whose fame far preceded him. He pointed out the celebration his death
came to represent all over the world and said Igbo was lucky to give such a
rare gift to the world.

Thursday, 16 May 2013

The
countdown has begun as the attention of the book-loving world turns to
Nigeria’s oily Garden City, Port Harcourt, which will host stimulating
activities around the book when it hoists aloft the World Book Capital flag in
2014. The countdown activities were announced last week at the weeklong Nigeria
International Book Fair at UNILAG in Lagos when the Project Director and
Rainbow Book Club president, Mrs. Koko Kalango excitedly presented action plan
for the year-long book event scheduled for next year. Port Harcourt is the 14th
designated World Book Capital after Yerevan (2012), Madrid (2001),
Alexandria (2002), New Delhi (2003), Antwerp (2004), Montreal (2005), Turin
(2006), Bogota (2007), Amsterdam (2008), Beirut (2009), Ljubljana (2010) and
Buenos Aires (2011.

Kalango, who was in Bangkok (current World
Book Capital 2013) to witness the city’s taking over from Yerevan, Amenia
(World Book Capital 2012), expressed her palpable excitement at winning the bid
over 10 other cities, including foremost book city, Oxford, Britain.

According to the amiable Port
Harcourt-based book promoter, who has brought further honour to Nigeria with
this event, “We shared our ambition in bidding. Port Harcourt beat 10 cities
including Oxford to win the award. We are proud to be the first city in
sub-Sahara Africa to bid and win. We need to make this known to the world.
We’re at the London Book Fair and were encouraged by what we saw, by those who
came to our stand to felicitate with us. Some British, who were in Nigeria
during the colonial era, even wanted to partner with us.

“What we saw in Bangkok (current UNESCO
World Book Capital) threw a challenge to us in Nigeria. We just felt that the
Nigeria International Book Fair is an excellent platform to speak to the world
about Port Harcourt World Book Capital 2014. We have programmes that have
popular appeal, which can change the landscape, and raise an army of
change-agents in society through the programmes of World Book Capital”.

On her part, Officer-in-Charge, UNESCO
office, Abuja, Prof. (Mrs). Hassana Alidou, who was represented byProgramme Specialist for Culture at UNESCO, Mr. Giovanni Fontana, expressed her
delight for being invited to the official announcement of Port Harcourt as
UNESCO World Book Capital City 2014.

Alidou stated, “Every year, UNESCO
convenes delegates from the International Publishers Association, the
International Booksellers Federation (IBF) and the International Federation of
Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) to grant the title of UNESCO World
Book Capital to one city.

“For 2014, Port Harcourt has been
designated to be the first African city to serve as World Book Capital City
since UNESCO created this programme in 2001. This designation reflects global
recognition of Nigeria’s distinguished literary tradition. There is no doubt that
this country has given humanity a number of towering writers and cultural
figures, such as late Chinua Achebe, late Daniel Olorunfemi Fagunwa, Ben Okri,
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka, Chimamanda Adichie, Adebayo Faleti among others.

“The implication of this honour is that
Port Harcourt will hold the title of UNESCO World Book Day for one designated
year, from April 23, 2014 to April 23 the following year. The designation of
World Book Capital City also speaks to Port Harcourt’s capacity to inspire a
debate on all issues related to the development of book culture in the
Nigerian, African and the wider global context. During the designated year, it
undertakes to organise and run a larger number of events around books,
literature and reading. Parts of the programmes are expected to bring together
the local and national book industries and puts books and book culture into the
public eye. It attracts sponsorship and extra funding for book related
institutions.

“In light of the importance of National
languages for literacy and cultural reproduction, UNESCO encourages you to
promote literacy production in these languages in order to entice the
development of multicultural and multilingual literate environment in Nigeria.
It also encourages you to use ICT to make books accessible to all people.

“Our relationship with books
determines, to a large extent, our relationship with culture. Our world needs
to understand the diversity of cultures and to develop much stronger
intercultural skills in the minds of every man and woman. We need these skills
in order to live together in heterogeneous societies. We need them in order to
address our common challenges together.

“While appreciating the unflinching
vision of the founder of the Rainbow Book Club, for her energy and passion, I
seize this opportunity to thank the Government of Nigeria, the River States
Governor and the people and citizens of River States for this event, the
importance it deserves”.

On his part, Fontana advised that hosts
of UNESCO World Book Capital, Rainbow Book Club should endeavour stretch and
diversity the project’s programmes’ reach so a wider group of people could gain
from them. He also said there was need to ensure sustainability of the World
Book Capital programmes after Port Harcourt would have handed over the flag to
another city in 2015 so as to continue the resonance of having the privilege to
have hosted the august book event. Such sustainability, he noted, was key in
deepening the gains derived from hosting the book capital.

Nigerian Publishers’ Association’s
Operations Manager, Mr. Olawale Adebayo, said Port Harcourt, as UNESCO World
Book Capital 2014 would bring “great honour, opportunity and book reading
culture to young Nigerians to develop them and the practice to express themselves
through writing. Nigeria will be brought to the fore in book business”.

Another ally of the world book project,
Booksellers Association of Nigeria, represented by Dare Oluwatuyi, commended
Rainbow Book Club’s boss, Kalango, for getting Rivers State Government to be
involved in promoting books and reading culture. He enjoined other states in
the country to emulate Rivers State in doing the same and wondered the ripple
effect it would be if other states did the same to broaden books and reading
culture in the country.

Oluwatuyi said Port Harcourt as UNESCO
World Book Capital would “promote Nigeria’s image abroad and would bring the
book world to Nigeria and vice versa, a platform to sell Nigeria to the world
beyond contributing to Nigeria’s economy”. He urged the Federal Government to
support the project to ensure its success in view of what the country would
gain thereby.

Early preparations for the
burial rites for late legendary literary icon began last Tuesday when by Igbo
socio-political Think-tank, Aka Ikenga held a day of tributes for the late man of letters, Prof. Chinua
Achebe at Nigeria Institute for International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Friends, colleagues and admirers of the literary icon extolled the virtues of
Achebe as a man of courage, a man who lived life to the full.

Also, Nigerians, especially the young ones, were urged to
emulate his exemplary life, a man with whom humility, integrity, courage sat
well, just as the countdown to his burial on May 23rd starts today, with
activities in Abuja before his arrival on Tuesday and his final journey to his
resting place in his hometown, Ogidi, Anambra State.

Among prominent Igbo sons that paid tribute to Achebe
included Amb. Arthur Mbanefo, Profs. Anya O. Anya, George Obiozor and Uzodinma
Nwuala, Anthony Merini and Nnabuife. Others were President, Government College,
Umuahia Old Students Association, Mr. C.N.C. Nweke and many other old boys and
dignitaries.

Also, it was an event that was spiced with musical
rendition, poetry rendition in Igbo and English. At the forefront of the
musical performance was the post-graduate class of Performing Arts Department,
University of Lagos, which rendered several Igbo choral songs. Prof. Nnabuife’s
rendition of elegiac poem in Igbo was a moving, superb and effortless in the
classic manner of ancient griots, which even the late Achebe would have
applauded in its edification of the Igbo language as a fitting language for
peotry. Punctuated by the accompaniment of the local Igbo flute dexterously
weaving in and out among the stanzas, the performance could best be described
as a fitting funereal for the great wordsmith it was composed for as it mourned
the man and played up the havoc death wreaks on mankind both great and small.

And as the performance progress, the unmistakable ekwe sound, not unlike how Achebe played it up chapter two
of his now famous Things Fall Apart
joined the poetic rendition to further heighten the mournful cadence of the
performance.

In his tribute, Mbanefo commended Achebe for his iconic
status in letters that transcended Nigeria and Africa to the wider world. He
said it was a thing of pride that Achebe as an Igbo son was acclaimed world-wide,
and added that Nigerians should not lose sight of the values of integrity,
humility and excellence that Achebe represented and transmitted in his works.

He noted, “He was the elephant not only of Nigeria and
Africa but of the entire world. Anybody who had Achebe knew that he had
somebody. His death is a thing of tears and sorrow but it also causes a lot of
reflection on our part. What he depicted was not a myth; he tried to practice
what he wrote, which is very hard in this country. He played honest politics;
he stood out. He was one that didn’t give in; he believed in himself and was
truthful. He stood straight to the end. In a country where people beg for
national honours, Achebe rejected them because the hands that wanted to give
him such honours were not clean. We have lost a gem”.

Also, Prof. Anya said Achebe, his neighbour at University of
Nigeria, Nsukka, was the greatest literary artist of the 20th century Africa
produced, adding, “Achebe does not belong to the dead but the living. This is a
day of reflection, for us to see what lessons we can take away from his life”.

The iconic economist wondered why Igbo did not honour their
own when they were still alive, starting from foremost historian and first Vice
Chancellor of University College, Ibadan, Prof. Kenneth Dike and another
foremost academics, Prof. Eni Njoku. He said these legendary men of letters
deserved to be laureates in their fields but that world politics played them
out of such considerations.

Anya said Achebe’s burial date of May 23 was just six days
away from May 29th, a symbolic date in Igbo’s history, when the 1966 progrom
started in the North of Nigeria, which eventually ushered in the bitter civil
war that decimated the lives of Nd’Igbo. He also linked the passing of Odumegu
Ojukwu and Achebe in close proximity at this time as not mere happenstance, but
some sort of closure for Nd’Igbo, as the past drawing the curtain against the
past for a new chapter and renaissance of Igbo people.

Prof. Obiozor, hilariously explosive, stated that the
greatness of any nation was determined by the quality of the sons and daughters
she produced. He praised Achebe’s greatness as an exceptional one that trailed
him from the beginning to the end, which started at Government College, Umuahia
as a first class student. He harped on the injustice that has continued to be
the hallmark of Nigeria and stressed that until the injustice was addressed in
the land, peace would continue to elude Nigeria.

Earlier, President of Aka Ikenga, Chief Goddy Uwazurike extolled the virtues of Achebe
as a man whose fame far preceded him. He pointed out the celebration his death
came to represent all over the world and said Igbo was lucky to give such a
rare gift to the world.

Friday, 10 May 2013

ART practitioners, culture producers, advocates and activists in
the country alike are agreed that President Goodluck Jonathan’s interest in the
country’s art sector deserves commendation, especially when he has consistently
backed up such interest with actual provision of funds.

Indeed, for many years, the sector had cried itself hoarse
for government’s intervention as noticeable in other parts of the world, where
art and culture are held in high esteem and properly funded for their growth and
contribution to the economic and social value chain. It largely remained an
orphan, as government and corporate Nigeria stood aloof to its plight.

But then, Mr. Jonathan’s interventions began to trickle in.
First was the $200 million entertainment loan scheme made available two years
ago. Only about three players in the sector are said to have been able to
access the fund because of its stringent conditions not unlike what obtains in
accessing loans from banks with collateral and all.

Only recently, Mr.
President also pledged N3 billion as grant for filmmakers, also known as Nollywood. This is unprecedented in
Nigeria’s culture history.

However, this provision has created a little unease in the
creative community, as it had turned the logic of proper funding for the
creative sector for which practitioners had long yearned for upside down. Some
see it as a one-sided, biased donation from the country’s number one citizen
who ought to see the entire creative community as his own and not just one segment
as the grant implies.

The President has not hidden his love for the creative
community since coming to power, first as deputy governor and then governor of
Bayelsa State. Bayelsa was the only state that was receptive to a
continent-wide reward system for filmmakers when the state started hosting
Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) that was instituted by Peace Anyiam-Osigwe.

Indeed, Mr. President is yet to wean himself from that
first love romance with the movie sector even after becoming President. But
this is where other members of the creative community that are not filmmakers
feel unease; they frown at Mr. President’s open bias for Nollywood, the youngest art form to
the others, which is only 20 years old. Some have submitted that Mr. Jonathan
has simply fallen in love with Nollywood’s klieglights, and the fad that characterise
the world of make-believe to which film belongs.

Some have argued that if Mr. President were not enchanted
by the irresistible charms of Nollywood, he would have paid attention to the entire
creative industry and not just one segment of it at the expense of others –
literature, visual arts, music and theatre. The entire creative community has
long advocated for the formal implementation of the National Cultural Policy,
which has as one of its primary pillars the National Endowment Fund for the
Arts in which the grant Mr. President has generously doled out to Nollywood ought to be a part.

PRO North, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Mr.
Richard Ali, is one of those who have voiced out his concerns about the
President’s romance with Nollywood at the expense of other art forms in the country.

He noted, “President
Jonathan has shown his preference for the kleighlights of Nollywood over other organs of culture
such as the Association of Nigerian Authors. He recently gave Nollywood another N3 billion after
giving it $200 million. How much has he given ANA and Nigerian publishers?
There isn't a lot we can do except continue to speak the truth to power. The
President is turning his administration into a philistine one as far as books
and publishing are concerned and this is sad, sad in any sort of emphasis you
can imagine”.

Ali’s grouse stems from the negligence the President’s own
pet project, Bring Back the Book, has suffered. It was designed to entrench the book reading
culture among Nigerians, but it appears the project is in limbo at the moment,
thus, leaving the writing community in exasperation.

A former academic,
many in the intellectual community had hoped that the President’s book project
would inject a new lease of life into the book campaign , but these were not to
be.

Former president of Association of Nigerian Authors, Dr. Wale Okediran, said, “Nigerian writers certainly
need a lot of support in the form of grants and policies. The President may not
be aware of the lopsided treatment of Nollywood industry and so, this is a
'gentle' reminder”.

However, current president, Association of Nigerian Authors
and professor of English at University of Ibadan, Prof. Remi Raji-Oyelade, lent
another dimension to the argument, when he proposed a National Arts Commission
just like the National Sports Commission and similar commissions for various
sectors of the economy. While commending President Jonathan for the grant to Nollywood, he further argued that
officials in the culture ministry were yet to do their job properly in giving
correct advice to Mr. President on how best to approach issues relating to
artists and the culture ministry they are supposed to midwife.

He stated thus: “The award of N3 billion to Nollywood is greatly welcome. It is
unprecedented and a good move in support of the cultural arm of our
civilization and development as a nation. Yes, Nigerian writers and industry do
need this kind of patronage. The proactive governmental support for writing and
writers is long overdue. Commentaries have been made on this issue in the past;
suggestions have been made, and arguments have been pushed that lack of funding
and support for literary writing in this country may just be one reason why the
art of scripting, even in the film industry, is stunted.

“I should qualify the nature of grant that Nigerian
writers deserve from governments and corporations in this country. The kind of
support that we expect from government is one which will outlast individuals
and endure. It will be better to have residencies established for writers and
other artistes (including musicians, painters, sculptors and actors, handicraft
artists and designers) under a properly organised National Art Commission that
has a UNESCO grade status. The example of the South African Art Commission with
panels and divisions for specialist and particular creative arts is worthy of
emulation. A one-off grant to writers, without real enduring institutions, is
only half-measure.

“I do not think that the President is biased in that
award, because it is an ‘award’ which is determined, sought for and granted, a
present handed-down to a group, albeit for a purpose. Given past experience, we
get and give support depending on different arbitrary terms, and you cannot
fault the Presidency on that. You can only say that perhaps there are people in
the cultural ministry who are not doing their job properly. There are people
who should know better who are not giving the right and dispassionate advice to
our leaders when it comes to support for the creative writing industry. Isn't
it therefore a systemic problem? Let the right things be done at the right
time. As I said earlier, Nollywood itself suffers from the lack of federal support that Nigerian
writing currently enjoys!”

But Managing Director of Ibadan-based University Press Plc, Mr.
Samuel Kolawole, argued that doling out money never really solved problems
unless a holistic assessment of an industry was made and policy issues followed
through thoroughly, especially in the book business. He stated, “Yes, the
industry needs money, but it may not be by bringing money and putting it down
like that. The biggest mistake we make is to think that money solves all our
problems; it doesn’t! It’s not all about money. N3 billion grant for the book
industry may not solve all its problems. If you’re not careful, that money will
split the industry apart. They will see it as part of their national cake and
seek means to grab it and lose sight of the reason for the money.

“What the publishing industry needs is policy issues,
especially policy implementation. That is what we need. Take a look at the
copyright commission and strengthen its operations so it can fight book piracy.
That way you would be helping the book industry in a long way. It will also
help the reading culture because many authors are frustrated right now because
they don’t get royalties for their books because of pirates that are at work
and they don’t get money from their publishers. They quarrel with their
publishers because they see their books everywhere but no money comes to them
because the publishers are not the ones distributing them but pirates.

“If you want to improve reading culture, it’s not about
giving money to authors to say ‘go and write books’. In my own opinion, that is
not what the publishing industry needs. Ensure that the copyright system works;
fight against book piracy; recognize those in the book chain as important
contributors to policy decision-making; carry them along while making policy”.

SOME have argued that President Jonathan’s attachment stemmed from
the perceived ambassadorial role Nollywood has played for the country outside. They argue
that Nollywood has opened up the space for outsiders to see Nigerians up-close
even to their dressing rooms, bedrooms, dining tables and other intimate areas
of Nigerian social life.

So much so that to
see Nigeria as an open book all you need do as an outsider is to see a couple
of Nollywood movies.

Arguably, Nollywood, as a culture product from Nigeria, has done a
lot to open up Nigeria’s social space to the outside world with its peculiar
storytelling. As a popular culture, it has been doing its part in exposing the
different lifestyles of Nigerians to a wide audience, perhaps, far wider than
any other art form has done to date. But hardliners in the more intellectually
engaging, stimulating art forms question the real worth of Nollywood’s ambassadorial role and its
true significance as a culture export. They point at the poor quality, the
often poor usage of language whether spoken or sub-titled English from the
local languages and the sheer indiscretion of some of its exposes, especially
its inability to subtly, intelligently represent certain aspects of Nigerian
culture or ways of life.

These artists point at the level of voodoo or witchcraft,
where most outsiders see Nigerians as patrons of fetish and magic for
vainglorious purposes. Such critics point to Nigeria’s literature (which they,
like their literary grandfather Chinua Achebe superbly put it in his famous
novel, Things Fall Apart), has a fame that ‘rests on solid personal achievement’. They
point out that Nigerian literature has long played a great ambassadorial role
before the existence of Nollywood, Nigerian literature’s wayward grandson, was born.

Achebe with his famous Things Fall Apart, Wole Soyinka, as Black
Africa’s first Nobel Laureate and John Pepper Clark, as Africa’s first
professor of English had long been great cultural ambassadors for not just
Nigeria but the entire black Africa and beyond. Younger generation of writers
that successfully followed as successors have won every available international
prize on offer: Niyi Osundare – Commonwealth Prize; Ben Okri – Booker Prize;
Chimanmada Ngozi Adichie – Orange Prize and Helon Habila, E.C. Osundu and
Rotimi Babatunde – Caine Prize. These are all international prizes the entire
world of writers strongly covet.

In spite of these towering, landmarking achievements by
Nigerian men and women of letters, Mr. President hasn’t seen it fit to give a
grant to the book industry to help writers and publishers produce more
award-winning books or to properly equip the nation’s dilapidated libraries so
the country can continue to produce succeeding generation of writers of immense
promise.

After 20 years of
existence, no Nollywood film has been screened inside any of the major pavilions at Canes
Film Festival in France or any major international film festival. Nigerian
filmmakers are usually mostly spectators in these milestone events. Only Jeta
Amata’s Amazing Grace managed a side screening at Caines a few years ago.

The visual art community isn’t left out in projecting
Nigeria’s culture abroad. Names like Ben Enwonwu readily come to mind. He was
the first black African whom Queen Elizabeth daintily sat for to have her
portrait painted!

Chinwe Chukwuogo-Roy
was another Nigeria to be so honoured with the royal sitting for a portrait.
Other visual art masters such as Yusuf Grillo, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Lamide Fakeye
and David Dale have all put Nigerian name indelibly on the visual art history
of the world. Yet that cerebrally acclaimed art sector is yet to receive a
grant for its huge contributions.

Of course, there was a time when a Nigerian ex-leader was
referred to as belonging to Fela’s country! That was the immense power that the
Afrobeat
legend possessed outside the country so much so that a head of state was so
obscure as to belong to Fela’s country. Now, Fela’s son, Femi Kuti and King
Sunny Ade had sat alongside other world acclaimed musicians to compete for
honours at the America Grammy Award. They did not win, but they shared the
stage with some of the world’s best. For now, Nollywood’s best still have a long way
to go!

FOR former president, National Association of Theatre Arts
Practitioners (NANTAP) Mr. Greg Odutayo government needed to either build
cottage theatres or empower individuals to build them so as to facilitate the
staging of plays at the grassroots and thereby employ those in the performance
arts. Odutayo stated recently, “NANTAP’s cardinal objective for 2013 is
building theatre audiences across the country, so that practitioners can again
start to speak for the people. And to achieve this, we need sustainable development
for the sector.

“Government must, as a matter of urgency, look into
the establishment of cottage theatres in at least in every local government in
the country. For this will help bring theatre and the allied arts to the
people, aside from creating employment for the vast theatre graduates that are
churned out every year from our numerous universities; it is the only way to
bring massive development to the sector and generate employment for the youth.
Such grant from government can help put cottage theatres all over the country
to stimulate theatre practice”.

Also, a respected but retired visual art teacher and
practitioner, Mr. Kolade Oshinowo berated government for not doing enough in
the visual art sector. He said such neglect had huge monetary loss to the
country and stressed that government must wake up and take advantage of
Nigeria’s vast art talent and potentials and takes its pride of place on the
continent. Oshinowo noted, “I am usually not very impressed when government
makes such grant pronouncement without consideration given to other sectors of
the arts. I believe government should adopt a much more holistic approach in
the giving of grants to the art sector rather than being selective. For
instance, the visual artists have been crying for years for a purpose-built art
gallery for the nation. This is one of the reasons Nigeria is conspicuously
missing on list of countries that host International Art Biennials which would
have been a major source of revenue earning for the country. What about
artistic monuments in our public space? The list is endless”.